Bean-separator.



T. RUIZ.

BEAN SBPARATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY23,1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

2 SHEETS-BHEBT 1.

' T. RUIZ.

BEAN SEPARATOR.k APPLIOATION FILED MAY 2s. 1911.

Patented Aug. 6,1912.

2 SHBETB-SHBET 2.

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lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS RUIZ, OF OXNARD, CALIFORNIA.

BEAN-SEPARATOR.

Application filed May 23, 1911.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, THOMAS RUIZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oxnard, in the county of Ventura and State of California,have invented new and useful Improvements in Bean-separators, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bean separators and hasparticular reference to mechanisms that are adapted for the receiving ofbeans just as they areharvested and separat-ing therefrom substances, aswell as separating and collecting beans in different sizes.

It is an object ofthe invention to provide a mechanism which willreceive beans after they are harvested and pass them over sizing devicesand separating means which will be capable of removing all dirt, drossor foreign substances therefrom and will then permit the beans ofsmaller size to collect in one space, while the beans of medium sizewill be collected in another space, the remaining beans being furtherdisposed and separated as found desirable.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a rotating sectionalscreen having different sized meshes and capable of select- .ing andseparating the beans of different sizes in different places, theimperfect and poor beans being led to a place where they willj not becollected with the good and useful beans.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a separating` screenmechanism for beans which is provided with lifting means at variouspoints for insuring the tipping of the beans through the proper sizedapertures for their discharge.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a screen with slatinclosed portions, the slats being so shaped as to tend to tip the beansand permit those of the proper size to pass through slats.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a screenforseparating beans having spaced slats for grading the beans andproviding means for depressing slats at proper times for loosening anddisengaging beans that become caught between the slats.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figurel is a top plan view of the improved bean separator forming the subjectmatter of this invention, the cover thereof being removed. Fig.

y2 is a side elevation of the bean appa atus,

Specification of Letters Patent.

tional view through a grou Patented Auo. 6, 1912.

Serial No. 628,952.

the cover and side wall partiallyremoved. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailsectional view of a portion of the screen which employs separate slats,and showing a portion of one of the rollers employed for depressing theslats in releasing caught beans.` Fig. I is a longitudinal vertical`central sectional view through the bean separator. Fig. 5 is a tansversesectional View taken upon the line 5 5, of Fig. 4, showing the inletgate for the beans, a portion of the fran'iing of the device beingbroken away. Fig. G is a transverse sectional view taken upon the line 66 of Fig. l, the cover portion of the mechanism being removed. Fig. 7 isa transverse sectional view 4taken upon the line 7 -7 of Fig. el. Fig. 8is a transverse sectional view taken upon the line 8-S of Fig. 4. Fig. 9is an enlarged detail secof adjacent slats showing the manner in whichthe beans are adapted to be tipped thereby. Fig. 10 is a fragmentaryview in section of one portion of'the screen mechanism showing thetongues adjacent to the openings ofthe screen for insuring the passageof the beans to said openings. Fig. 11 is a silnilar View but showing aportion ofthe screen employing a smaller mesh.

The details of the invention will now be more particularly described,reference being had to the d awing in which 10 indicates a. casing,mounted upon suitable standards or legs 1l, the said casing beingmounted so as to incline from one end toward the other as clearly shownin Figs. 9. and 4. The floor of the casing 10 is also inclined from oneside of the easing to the other as clearly indicated in Figs. (5, 7 and8 so that the beans when separated tend to slide toward the lower edgeof the easing, where outlet spouts are arranged opposite the variouscompartments. Mounted upon the inclined Hoor of the said casing 10 are aseries of inclined partitions as 12 which divides the floor space intobean collecting compartments.

IVithin the casing 10v and extending longitudinally therein is arotating separator screen device, the said screen device being mountedupon a longitudinally extending shaft 123. The said shaft extendsparallel with the inclined floor or bottom of the casing 10 and at oneend is journaled at 14 in the end Vall of the said casing 10, while atthe other end the said shaft is journaled at 15 in a suitable bearingprovided in a l 10, and between the end wall thereof and the partition16 forms a hopper for receiving the beans that are to be separated. Thesaid hopper is provided with a curved floor 18 at the bottom thereof,which extends to and through an opening 19 formed in the partition 1Gbelow the said bearing 15.

The floor 18 projects through and somewhat beyond the opening 19 and isformed with an inwardly flaring delivery slip or spout portion 20 whichextends into the adjacent end of the rotating screen carried by theshaft 13. The beans entering the hopper will thus be delivered into theadjacent end of the rotating screen over the spout portion 20. Theentrance of the beans is somewhat modified and controlled by a swinginggate 21, which is mounted upon a transverse shaft 22 carried by bearingsupon the inner face of the partition 1G. The said shaft 22 extends abovethe opening 19 so i that the gate may bevswung opposite the saidopenings. i

The gate is formed with a curved lower portion to approximately fit inthe spout 20.

The shaft 22 extends to one side of the screened mechanism and isprovided with a laterally extending arm 23, which is provided with aweight 24 for holding the rgate downwardly and against the inwardrotation of the beans from the hopper.

The arm 23 may be provided with a series of indentations or recesses 25,so thatI the weight 24 may be adjacent to dierent parts thereon forvarying the force with which the gate is held against the incomingbeans, and the weight may be adjusted so that the gate will permit thebeans to be fed into the screen at a proper speed. The end of the shaft13 extends well into the hopper and is usually provided with stirringmeans for preventing the packing of the beans in the hopper. A. simpleway to accomplish this is shown in the drawing and particularly in Figs.1 and 4 where a wire 2G is passed through apertures formed in the end ofsaid shaft in such a way as to provide oppositely extending stirringloops as clearly shown in Fig. 1. These loops extend radially from theshaft 13 and will operate to keep the beans always in readiness forslipping through the opening 19- and into the screen.

The screen mechanism employed and careach particular section. The screensections however are usually made of practically the same diameter sothat the screen as a whole 'is approximately cylindrical as shown in thedrawings. The cylindrical screen is supported upon the shaft 13 bysmeans of heads 27, 23 and 29 which are arranged intermediate the lengthof the screen. The ends of the screen project considerably beyond theend heads 27 and 29 and this is especially true of the lower end of thescreen with the result that the screen is given a shaking movement inits operation. Such shaking movement need not be very pronounced, andthe mounting of the screen upon the heads set well in from the endthereof, is found to give sufficient vibration to the screen to make iteffective in its operation.

The sections of the screen are held upon the heads 27, 28 and 29 bymeans of longitudinally arranged slats or bars 30 which preferablyextend the full length of the screen mechanism and are fastened to theperipheries of the said heads 27, 28 and 29. The said slats or bars arepreferably four in number and arranged diametrically opposite each otherin pairs so as to thoroughly strengthen the screen parts. rlhe spacesbetween the slats are filled by the various screen sections so as toreceive and operate upon the beans to be separated.

The upper end of the screen is provided `with a head 31 which issupported between lscreen is fastened around the peripheral portions ofthe said heads 29 and 31 and this screen is the first one to receive thebeans discharged from the hopper.

The next section 32 of the screen is made up of a screen portion havinglarge mesh and formed by fitting a perforated screen plate around theperipheral edges of the heads 27 and 28 as shown in Figs. 1, l2, 4 and8. The apertures in the screen 34 are formed of larger size than themesh of the screen 33 and opposite many of the apertures as 35 in thescreen 34 are inbent tongues 36, set at an angle with respect to thescreen. A desirable number of tongues 36 are provided by arranging thesame opposite every other row of openings in the said screen 34 asindicated in the enlarged detail view of Fig. 11. The said tongues 36may be stamped up from the metal of the screen in forming the aperturestherein and are bent at such an angle that they tend to lift the beansupon the rising side of the screen and tip them so that if they are nottoo large they will readily fall through the apertures.

In order to permit the beans to pass from one compartment in therotating screen to the next compartment, suitable peripheral aperturesare provided in each of the transverse heads in the screen mechanism.Thus the head 27 is provided with peripheral apertures 37 which are ofany desired shape but are preferably formed as indicated in the drawing,and the said apertures are made with flaring walls tapered so as tobecome longer toward the lower end of the screen and in the direction ofthe travel of the beans, the formation being' such that the beans cannotbecome clogged in the openings. The heads 27, 2S and 29 are alsoprovided with circumferentially extending strips forming rims 3S, 39 and4t() to which the screens may be connected. The said rims are especiallyneeded for holding the screen in proper position over the openings ofthe heads and thus maintain the cylindrical formation of the screen. Thehead 2S is provided with peripheral apertures Lt1 similar to theapertures 37 and the head 29 is provided with like apertures 42, theapertures in the three intermediate heads being thus practically thesame and permitting of a gradual feeding of the beans from one screencompartment to the next as the screen is rotated. The rims 39 and l.t0preferably project each side of their' respective heads 2S and 29 so asto form attaching annular flanges and affording convenient means forsecuring the parts of the screen together, and in place.

The intermediate screen section between the heads 2S ad 29 is usuallythe longest section of the screen, sfnce it is designed to remove themost desirable shaped and sized beans that are handled, and thus operateupon the major portion of the beans. The structure of the intermediatescreen 43 is an important :feature of the invention, and it affords anexcellent means for handling the beans. The said screen 43 is made up ofa series of longitudinally arranged slats 14, which preferably extendfrom one head 28 to the adjacent head 29 and are secured to the flangesof the rims 39 and et() by means of bolts 4:5 and 46, which extendthrough apertures in the ends of said slats 44 and engage elongatedslots 47 formed in the flanges of said rims 39 and 4:0. The slots 47 areelongated peripherally of the screen so as to make it possible to adjustthe slats so as to have larger or smaller spaces between them as founddesirable in permitting the passage of the proper sized beans.

The formation of the slats t-t themselves is also important since itcontributes to the more perfect operation of the screen. The slats areformed with beveled inner faces 48 which render the said slats thinnerat one edge than they are at the other. The inclined surfaces of thesaid beveled slats thus a'tl'ord means for holding the imperfect thinbeans so that they are readily tipped and can slip through the slotsbetween the slats, the perfect beans continuing through the cylinder totheir proper point of distribution.

The slats are so arranged that their thick edges rise from the bottomfirst in the rotation of the screen, so that they form projectingportions beyond the face of the adjacent beveled parts of the nextslats, and the beans will be caught upon the said beveled face 48somewhat as indicated in detail in Fig. 9 of the drawing and as thescreen continues to turn the bean will be tipped into alinement with thespaces between the slats, facilitating the discharge of the beans ofproper size. Of course those beans which are too large to pass throughthe slots of the screen it?) will be fed into the next compartment ofthe section of the mechanism.

The next section of the screen is formed by a slatted screen 49 whichextends from the head 29 to a ring head 50 carried by the slats or bars30 near the lower end of the screen mechanism. The ring head 50 is alsoprovided with a peripheral rim 51 and the slats of the screen t9 aresecured at their ends by a bolt and slot connection with the flanges ofthe rims 40 and 51 and in a manner similar to that described withrespect to thc slats 44. The slats of the screen lt9 may thus beadjusted to suitable distances from each other for providing the desiredspacing or mesh between them. Mounted within this section of the screenis an automatically operating chute device 52 which is pivotally mountedupon the shaft 13. The said device consists of an incline concave platecarried by a 'framing 54; which is journaled upon the shaft 13, theportion which extends above the shaft heilig arranged to carry the saidplate 53 and hold the same in inclined posit-ion as clearly indicated inFigs. 2 and 4. The lower part of the said 'frame is provided with aweight which always insures the holding of the plate 53 in properposition and upon the upper side of the shaft 1S. The lower ends of theplate 52 is slotted at 5G so as to extend upon each side of the shaft ltwill be readily understood that the structure is such that the rotationof the shaft 13 will not operate to carry the plate 53 out of properposition and the weight 55 will tend to balance and maintain the partsin proper place. The concave upper surface of the said plate 58 isadapted to receive the beans or other material which may be carriedupwardly by the slats of the screen section 49, and since broken beansand waste material are frequently caught by the slats of the screen 49,the plate 53 will catch and direct the same to a suitable dischargeoutlet so as to thus discard materials that are not wanted. The slatsare spread for discharging the materials above said plate by suitablemeans to be hereinafter described. The said plate 53 directs thematerials into the end of a cylindrical chute or discharge pipe 57 atthe lower end of the screen. The cylindrical chute 57 is carried by thering head 50 and a similar ring head 58 secured at the lower end of thebars 30. The spaces between the ring heads 50 and 58 are covered by thelowest section 60 of the screen which is usually provided with thelargest mesh or holes of all. The apertures in this screen 60 are formedsimilar to those of the screen 34 but the holes 61 formed therein arevery much larger than the holes 35 and tongues 62 are preferablyarranged opposite each one of the apertures 61. The largest beans areusually able to pass through the apertures 61 and if any are too largethey can escape through openings 63 formed in the ring head 58. The ringhead 50 is also provided with similar openings as 64 for the passage ofbeans from the screen 49 to the screen 60. The beans that may bedischarged from the openings 63 are caught in a. space between one ofthe partitions 12 and a higher end partition 65 arranged near the lowerend ofthe casing 10. rlihe spout 57 discharges the broken beans anddross caught thereby into the space between the partition 65 and thewall of the casing.

As heretofore intimated it is desirable at times to be able to spreadthe slats of the sections 43 and 49 so as to free therefrom anddischarge beans, materials and portions of beans that get fastened andcaught between the slats thereof. This operation preferably performed bya mechanism made up of a longitudinally extending bar 66 which iscarried by a pivoted transversely arranged bar 67 hinged to the backwall of the casing 10 at one end and extending across to the other o rfront wall of said casing as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ends ofthe bar 66 carry rollers 68 and 69, which are held by the said bar 66 atpoints opposite the middle portions of the screens 43 and 49 and soarranged as to be capable of bearing upon and depressing the slats ofsaid sections. The free end of the bar 67 is connected by a spring 7 Owith a standard 71 which extends upwardly from the casing 10 as shown inFig. 2. The spring may be made of such a tension as to force the rollers68 and 69 down upon the slats of the screen and depress them somewhat asindicated on an enlarged scale in Fig. 3. The effect of depressing theslats successively will be readily understood by reference to said Fig.3 and it will be observed that the said beans A or other materials thatmay become wedged between the slats,will be so loosened as to insuretheir falling from place. The mounting of the rollers 68 and 69 is thussuch that they will be automatically caused to depress the slats of thescreen successively as the screen is rotated.

The screen mechanism above described is adapted to receive beans just asthey are received from the eld after they have been harvested andshelled and as the beans pass throughthe screen from the hopper, anydirt or foreign materials of small size will be immediately removed bythe screen 33. The beans will continue to work downwardly in the screenas the screen is rotated and the small beans will be caught by thetongues of the screen 34 and pass through the apertures 35 thereof. Thenext size of beans will be separated by the next section, namely thescreen 43 which is provided with slats set to handle the beans of usualor normal size and which are preferable both for seeding purposes aswell as for eating. The shape of the slats in this section will insurethe passing of all beans through the mesh of the screen that are of theproper size. The beans will next pass into the section 49 where somewill pass through the mesh thereof and broken pieces and beans that arenot desired for any purpose will usually be thrown upon the movablechute plate 53 and directed into the cylindrical discharge chute 57 soas to be deposited separately from any of the other beans. The largestbeans of all will pass through the mesh of the section 60. Thecompartments formed by the partitions 12 beneath each screen sectionwill collect the beans so separated and outlet openings 72 with spoutsor chutes 73 therein, will facilitate the discharge of the beans fromthe said compartments into bags, baskets or other receptacles.

The separator described is of course especially well adapted for limabeans or beans of a more or less flat shape.

That I claim is:

1. A bean separator comprising a rotating screen having parallelyielding slats incorporated in its peripheral portion, and meansengaging the exterior surface of said slats and adapted to press theminwardly as the screen is rotated for discharging materials caughtbetween them.

2. A separator comprising a rotating screen having sections some ofwhich are formed of longitudinally extending slats of rectangularmaterial, one of the inner edges of each slat being beveled for tendingto tip the materials carried within the screen, means for adjust-ablysecuring the ends of the slats in position, the central portions of saidslats being capable of yielding, and means for pressing upon the saidcentral portions of the slats for sepa 'ating them and insuring thedropping of materials that may have been caught between them.

8. A bean separator comprising a rotating screen mechanism havingsections, some of which are provided with parallel slats with spacesbetween them for the escape of beans, rollers adapted to engage thecentral portions of said slatted sections, and means for carrying saidrollers and forcing them upon the said slats.

4. A bean separator comprising a rotating screen mechanism havingslatted sections, parallel slats forming said sections and having theircentral portions unsupported, a bar extending longitudinally of saidsections and having depressing wheels mounted thereon and adapted toengage the said slats, and a spring actuated beam mounted adja cent tothe screen and carrying the said bar for normally forcing the rollersupon the slats to depress and separate the same.

5. A separator comprising a casing, a shaft mounted longitudinallytherein, the lower floor of the casing being inclined from one endtoward the other and tipped from one side ot' the casing toward theother, and baille plates extending transversely of the said floor, thesaid easing having discharge openings adjacent to one end of each ballleplate and a sectional screen carried by said shaft, the sections of thesaid screen being arranged to extend approximately from one baille plateto the other whereby the materials permitted to pass through each screensection will be caught and diverted by the baille plate below the same.

G. A bean separator comprising a screen having sections t'ormed withlongitudinally arranged slats, means for depressing the said slats todirect materials that have been caught between them, comprising rollers,and means for forcing the said rollers against the slats as the screenis operated.

'In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed myname this 15th day of May, 1911.

THOMAS RUIZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents nach, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

